1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a folding electric apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a folding electric apparatus having a hinge (an opening and closing mechanism). The present invention can be applied to various folding electronic apparatus having a hinge, such as a stationary communication terminal and a portable electronic apparatus, for example, a mobile phone, a portable communication terminal, a portable electronic note, a portable electronic book, a portable electronic dictionary and so forth.
The folding electronic apparatus includes: a first housing, for example, a stationary portion, in which an operation portion is mainly provided; and a second housing, a movable portion, in which a display portion such as a liquid crystal display is mainly provided, wherein the first housing and the second housing are connected with each other by a hinge, and the movable portion can be opened and closed with respect to the stationary portion being turned round the hinge. Since the folding electronic apparatus can be operated so as to be opened and closed, as described above, it has been conveniently used. Therefore, the number of the folding electronic apparatus to be used tends to remarkably increase every year. Especially according to the increase in the use of the folding electronic apparatus, there is a request for enhancing the mechanical strength of the hinge which is frequently opened and closed. Further, when the first housing and the second housing are electrically connected to each other by signal wires, the wiring must be devised so that the apparatus can endure opening and closing motions, which are frequently conducted, irrespective of a state of the apparatus to be opened and closed.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the conventional folding electronic apparatus in which the movable portion and the stationary portion are connected to each other by the hinge, the holding mechanism for holding the hinge is composed separately from the structure reinforcing member composing the movable portion and the stationary portion, that is, the holding mechanism for holding the hinge is composed separately from the chassis of the movable portion and the stationary portion. Therefore, the following problems may be encountered in the conventional folding electronic apparatus. In the conventional folding electronic apparatus, the hinge is not composed integrally with the chassis as described above. Therefore, the rigidity of the hinge is not sufficiently high compared with the rigidity of the structural members of the chassis. Accordingly, it is difficult to maintain the accuracy of a rotary shaft to be high. Further, when a shock is given to the apparatus, the hinge is independently deformed, and the rigidity of the hinge is lowered.
Further, the following problem may be encountered. In the conventional folding electronic apparatus, when the movable portion and the stationary portion are connected to each other by the signal wires at the time of assembling, the assembling work is complicated.
Concerning the structure of the conventional folding electronic apparatus, JP-A-2002-134938 discloses a folding housing structure having a water-proofing structure. According to this Patent Document, rising walls are formed round the hinge and on the side, and ribs for water-proofing are formed inside. When water absorption sheets are arranged inside an upper and a lower rear case, water can be prevented from entering from a gap of the hinge into a space.
According to the folding electronic apparatus disclosed in JP-A-2003-304310, when a hinge cover is divided into a plurality of pieces, a main body portion can be classified. Further, the generation of rattling in the hinge can be prevented.
As described above, in the conventional folding electronic apparatus, the hinge is not integrated with the chassis which is a structural reinforcing member composing the apparatus housing. Therefore, the rigidity of the hinge is not sufficiently high. Accordingly, it is difficult to maintain the accuracy of the rotary shaft to be sufficiently high. Further, there is a possibility that the hinge is independently deformed when a shock is given to the apparatus. Furthermore, in the conventional folding electronic apparatus, it is difficult to incorporate the signal wires extending between the movable portion and the stationary portion.